Defense finishes questioning of former CDR owner

WATERLOO — Attorneys for Theresa "Terri" Supino continued to cross examine former Copper Dollar Ranch owner Hal Snedeker Thursday at the Black Hawk County Courthouse, trying to establish the possibility that Snedeker's drug trafficking could be linked to the double murder of Steven Fisher and Melisa Gregory.

Supino is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the March 3, 1983 killings of her estranged husband Fisher, 20, and Gregory, 17, at the CDR northwest of Newton.

The defense brought Snedeker's whereabouts the night of the murders into question for a second time Thursday, trying to cast doubt on the witness's 32 years of shifting statements to investigators.

Snedeker said he was with his brother-in-law Carl Simmons on March 2, 1982 — first at a local bowling alley followed by a trip to a local bar. He admitted on the stand to lying of his whereabouts to wife Linda Snedeker at the time because she wouldn't have approved of him being "out with the boys."

Co-defense counsel Steve Addington then asked the witness about an inconsistency in a 2008 interview with investigators, where Snedeker said he and Simmons made a trip to Des Moines that night and returned to Jasper County around 10:30 p.m. Snedeker said Thursday he did not remember going to Des Moines with Simmons, but has stayed consistent in his testimony that he gave Simmons a ride home to Baxter March 2, 1983. Addington pointed out Baxter is 5 to 6 miles north of the former CDR.

Snedeker testified Wednesday that he had multiple pregnant horses at the time of the murder, and they required 24-hour attention. Snedeker claims he did stop at the ranch March 2, knowing the Fisher was staying in the trailer and could tend to the horses. The defense referenced Snedeker's statement that Fisher was a poor employee and was hired, fired and rehired several times while working at the CDR. Addington questioned why the witness would leave the horses in Fisher's overnight care with such a poor work history. Snedeker said Fisher could have called from the trailer telephone if there were any problems.

During redirect examination, Snedeker said he now regrets not going to the ranch the night Fisher and Gregory were killed. First Assistant County Scott Nicholson asked Snedeker if his horse business was hurt after the bodies were found in 1983. Snedeker affirmed that customers did not want to do business with the CDR following the rumors and visibility surrounding the murders.

"It destroyed me," Snedeker said.

Nicholson continued by asking the witness directly if he killed Steven Fisher.

"No, I did not," Snedeker said.

"Did you kill Melisa Gregory?" Nicholson said.

"No, I did not," Snedeker answered.

The assistant county attorney ended his questioning by asking Snedeker if he is left or right handed. Snedeker firmly answered he is right handed. The state has made the suspected left-handedness of the killer a key piece of evidence in its case against Supino.

The state walked jurors through DNA analysis Thursday from the crime scene and also evidence collected from the defendant's clothing which she provided to investigators in 1983. Jasper County prosecutors called two independent analysts and a Iowa DCI Crime Lab Criminologist Michael Schmit to the stand.

DNA was not used as evidence in criminal cases in 1983, but modern-day techniques were able to isolate the blood of both victims on items in the CDR camper following the murders. Supino's DNA was never found at the crime scene, but Schmit said it is not uncommon in a cold case for the defendant's DNA to be missing from analyzed evidence.

Schmit, who began blood analysis in January of 2008 of items taken from the crime scene, examined dozens of blood stains on clothing, blankets and other items in the bedroom and kitchen areas and floor of the trailer. A mixture of Fisher and Gregory's blood was found on items in the bedroom area and on clothing. Independent DNA signatures of both victims were also isolated inside the camper— although Gregory's blood DNA signature was found in greater numbers.

Blood spatter on an indentation found above the booth where Gregory was found dead revealed Fisher's partial DNA signature. The indentation is believed by the 1983 crime scene investigators to be caused by the handle of the murder weapon. The weapon was never found in this case.

An analysis of cigarette butts found in an ashtray at the crime scene discovered DNA signature from Snedeker's brother-in-law Simmons and two other unidentified male subjects. There was no indication how long the butts were in the ashtray prior to March 2, 1983.

Schmit was also asked to analyze a bag of household garbage collected from the home of Carlo Supino Jr., as well as swabs taken from the home. No blood was found in either the swabs or the bag of garbage thought to be connected to the murders. A gauze bandage was located with the blood of an individual who's test sample was not given to the DCI crime lab.

Forensic Biologist and DNA analyst of Bode Technology Groups Emily Herren began examining DNA from Supino's Lee-brand jeans and a swab taken from Fisher in 1983. The DNA analyst said semen samples from the crotch of Supino's jeans belonged to Fisher and with other DNA likely belonging to Supino. The secondary DNA, Herren said, could not be identified with scientific certainty. The time frame of when Fisher's DNA was deposited in Supino's jeans was not revealed.

As proceedings began Thursday, Iowa 5th District Court Judge Rickers informed jurors and made record for the court that the panel was down to 13 members. A juror asked to be excused due to an unforeseen child care issue. The once-14 member panel contains one alternate that will be revealed after the jury goes into deliberations next week.

Judge Rickers will also issue a ruling Friday concerning the admissibility of recordings holding recent police interviews with Supino. On the tapes, investigators questioned the defendant about the paternity of her son Rocky Supino. The state wants to attack the defendant's reasoning for going to the ranch the night of March 2 — she claims to obtain money to buy shoes for their son — by putting Rocky's paternity into question.

Jasper County Attorney Mike Jacobsen said the recording will be supplemental evidence to an event —heard in previous testimony by the defendant's twin brother Tim Supino —in which the defendant argued with Fisher about financial assistance for Rocky at the Oasis Motel in Newton.

"Part of the issue in this case was .... one of the reasons she gave for going out to the ranch at 11 o'clock that night was to get shoes for her son," Jacobsen said. "Some of the questioning later in the two interviews has to do with 'why did you go out there when it wasn't even his son?"

Co-defense counsel Jill Eimermann argued that the recording is irrelevant to the case and would do nothing but "embarrass our client" and attack Supino's character.

"That seems to me to be a stretch. That is irrelevant. Beyond that, any relevance I think is outweighed by misleading the jury again, making Terri look bad, embarrassing Terri, making a side issue of what the birth certificate said," Eimermann said.

For updates and archived stories on the Copper Dollar Ranch murders, go to newtondailynews.com, follow @NewtonDNews on Twitter and Facebook and see full recaps of trial-related events from Waterloo in the Newton Daily News print edition.

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com